Recommend an anime--FOR SOMEONE ELSE

[CrazyGirl17]

Probably...

Puella Magi Madoka Magica - it looks like your typical magical girl anime, but there's way more to it than that.
Summer Wars - fun fantasy and action with a good story.
Slayers- action, adventure, comedy, what's not to like?
Also, pretty much anything by Studio Ghibli.

 

[sextus the crazy]

Madoka would be decent, a happy go lucky anime about magical girls and their loveable mascot.

In all seriousness, I considered Madoka. It's pretty as hell and the darkness sort of legitimizes the whole thing. (Also, I'm not above scarring her a little, I admit) My only real hesitation with that one is how much fucking money the DVDs cost. (like $40 American for three episodes)

Yeah. I'd honestly only recommend buying Madoka if you're in love with the series like I am (It's $30-$40 for 4 eps. DVD/BD). FMA: Brotherhood is also good. It's like 64 eps, relatively inexpensive for something of that size (It's got two 30 episode DVD boxes for about $40-$50), also it's probably one of the best shows aimed at teens out there.

 

[thesilentman]

Cowboy Bebop, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Darker than Black, and Madoka Magicka all come to mind for me. I would suggest more, but those are more recent and I don't think are dubbed yet (Titan).

 

[Adamc-mh]

If you're looking for a tame(ish) gateway anime - I'd go for Full Metal Alchemist, One Piece or even Naruto. You should probably look into the Studio Ghibli moveis too (Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Porco Rosso etc.)

 

[bartholen_v1legacy]

Ohh someone mentioned Summer War's that was good.

You should try some of Satoshi Kon's work as well. Tokyo Godfathers and Paprika are both really good and I think that they would hold a 13 year old's attention.

Paprika is a good movie, but I doubt I'd been able to follow it when I was 13. And I wasn't exactly a dumb kid. I wouldn't recommend it to someone just starting middle school, it can be quite confusing at times.

I too recommend all the Ghibli movies. Particularly Howl's Moving Castle, which I've understood has quite a fanbase amongst the fairer sex. It's also more in the mold of a western fairy tale, which may make it more accessible than, say, Spirited Away, which just has that japanese cultural imagery up the wazoo.

Get her a bunch of Studio Ghibli movies. Especially Princess Mononoke!

Maybe Avatar:the last Airbender? That show is pretty interesting.

Oh yes! The thing depends on how mature she is for her age, though. If you'd shown ATLA to me at that age, I would have dismissed as too "kiddy" and lame. But it's a great show.

I feel like a broken record when I once again bring up The Vision of Escaflowne. It's a shoujo series with plenty of attractive males and romance (is she into that?) to hold her attention, even if the violence and mecha battles can get quite intense.

 

[Legion]

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya would be a good one to start with I think. It is pretty light hearted, funny and not too violent or dark.

Everybody should watch Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

K-On! is nice and light hearted, funny and is a great anime for those who want something cute.

If she likes action packed things, then Darker Than Black may interest her. It is violent, but no more than your average action movie. Cool characters, fairly decent plot.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is widely considered to be a must-watch series, and again, if she is interested in something that has a lot of action this would be recommended.

I may as well use my 11 year old sister's favourites as a basis here. I asked her for her top ten but she kinda just kept listing so here you go. In no particular order, my little sister's list of favourite anime.

Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai

If she starts asking you to play Eroge with her, you may want to back away slowly.

 

[Someone Depressing]

One Piece, Kill la Kill (boobies! Yaaaaaaaaaaah), Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (watch them in any order.. no, seriously.), Haruhi Suzumiya (or the books, they're better), Nichijou. If you're more interested in manga, Parasyte is probably the best thing Senien has ever published. It's probably not for kids.

To elaborate on my second favourite from the list that actually makes sense, Nichijou is a completely nonsensical, abstract financial failure from Studio Kyoto. It's about two girls called Yukko Aioi and Nano Shinonome. One of them is a hyperactive protein junky and the other is a robot whose left arm functions are a casarole cooker, rice cooker, machine gun, baseball bat, usb drive, and rocket, all of which were installed unknowingly by her immature 5 year old creator.

It's right in the Shonen, between the zombie porn and ecchi... wait, what?

Edit: Just thought of Arashi no Yoru ni. It's like Romeo and Juliet, but with animals. Studio Ghibli is also a pretty good option. Nichijou, Haruhi Suzumiya, One Piece, and SZS are probably good for kids.

 

[SaikyoKid]

A lot of good suggestions have been thrown around here. In particular I'll back up FMA as well. I remember a good few of the girls back in my high school watched that one all the time.

To add to the list, I'll throw out Trigun as well. It was the first anime I watched way back when, the english is better than the subs IMO, and I thought the movie was pretty great as well. Dunno if I quite had the taste of a girl back then, but there ya go.

 

[Kalashnikov2092]

FLCL. An absolute ton of fun in only six episodes. It was the anime I watched that hooked me on the genre as a kid.

 

[BNguyen]

If it's for a newcomer to the media, I'd suggest something not of the violence or sexiness class but rather, something that can ease you into those sorts of things, if that is what she wants. I suggest a good romance or comedy - Eden of the East? The Wolf Children? Pretty much any Miyazaki movie? Durarara!!, Fate/Stay Night? Honey and Clover? Kokoro Connect? Infinite Ryvius?

I could go on for a while seeing as how I own a rather large collect of (well actiony types for the most part) but a large selection is pretty tame when you compare it to the more blood-soaked series. I'd think something too over-the-top for a 13-year-old might be a bit much which is why I suggest ones that do have adult themes - not sexual anyways but are portrayed in such a manner than a preteen could understand. However, if you want a good suggestion, I'd have to understand what kinds of manga she's into, otherwise you're just grasping at straws here.

 

[Burgers2013]

I was one of those a while back! I guess I'll just review what I liked at the time (and still do for the most part). I know a lot of these have been mentioned, but hopefully you'll be swayed by enough repeats.

I'd give a +1 to FMA even though I was older when it came out. Slayers was my absolute favorite (started watching at 12). They are great anime without being as violently or sexually explicit as you will find with a lot of anime.

I suppose I'd throw in Sailor Moon, Cowboy Beebop, Trigun, and Blue Seed as well. I really liked those when I was younger. Blue Seed and Cowboy Beebop can get kind of violent though. Inuyasha was enjoyable for the first season or so. I also loved Azumanga Diaoh (manga). I watched Dragon Ball Z religiously as a tween and not because I found it hilarious. I cannot explain why I liked that show so much at the time, but I was crazy about it until about 13.

Evangelion was definitely one of my favorites even at 14, but some of the subject matter and visuals made me very uncomfortable when I first saw the show. Use your best judgement with that one I suppose.

I hope this helps.

Happy shopping.

 

[Weaver]

Madoka would be decent, a happy go lucky anime about magical girls and their loveable mascot.

In all seriousness, I considered Madoka. It's pretty as hell and the darkness sort of legitimizes the whole thing. (Also, I'm not above scarring her a little, I admit) My only real hesitation with that one is how much fucking money the DVDs cost. (like $40 American for three episodes)

Yeah. I'd honestly only recommend buying Madoka if you're in love with the series like I am (It's $30-$40 for 4 eps. DVD/BD).

Wow, in Canada all I've been able to find is the first 4 episodes on bluray and it was $110 before tax. Needless to say I didn't buy it.

 

[Deathmageddon]

Sgt Frog and Squid Girl maybe?

 

[sextus the crazy]

Madoka would be decent, a happy go lucky anime about magical girls and their loveable mascot.

In all seriousness, I considered Madoka. It's pretty as hell and the darkness sort of legitimizes the whole thing. (Also, I'm not above scarring her a little, I admit) My only real hesitation with that one is how much fucking money the DVDs cost. (like $40 American for three episodes)

Yeah. I'd honestly only recommend buying Madoka if you're in love with the series like I am (It's $30-$40 for 4 eps. DVD/BD).

Wow, in Canada all I've been able to find is the first 4 episodes on bluray and it was $110 before tax. Needless to say I didn't buy it.

I'm pretty sure rightstuf.com ships to canada and they've got good prices for everything.

http://www.rightstuf.com/rssite/facetedSearch/?search=madoka#/?s=madoka&r=STORE_CATEGORIESVD&o=0

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

The Slayers Series is comparably tame, and pretty funny. After that there's Bleach if she's okay with violence.

Another vote for Slayers (The Slayers, Next, Try, Revolution are all awesome) or The Vision of Escaflowne... if you can find it... it's pretty much made for teenagers of either gender.

 

[Zak757]

Madoka would be decent, a happy go lucky anime about magical girls and their loveable mascot.

I agree. Madoka Magica is one of the most cheerful and optimistic experiences I've ever had in my life! Kyubey is so adorable and definetly not a manipulative emotionless abomination that psychologically abuses teenage girls for its own benefit! I'd definetly give this one a shot if you are a fan of lighthearted fun and the power of friendship, which this anime is all about.

／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼

(this is a terrible Christmas gift for a 12 year old)

 

[Azkar Almsivi]

Madoka would be decent, a happy go lucky anime about magical girls and their loveable mascot.

I agree. Madoka Magica is one of the most cheerful and optimistic experiences I've ever had in my life! Kyubey is so adorable and definetly not a manipulative emotionless abomination that psychologically abuses teenage girls for its own benefit! I'd definetly give this one a shot if you are a fan of lighthearted fun and the power of friendship, which this anime is all about.

／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼

(this is a terrible Christmas gift for a 12 year old)

I agree, my favorite character is Sayaka. Her gracious acceptance of help and ability to stay cool no matter the situation is a testament to us all. Not to mention her final magical transformation is a pretty cute scene.

 

[Little Woodsman]

The fact that I've been ninja'd on both Slayers and Princess Tutu makes me extremely happy so yeah those.

Magic Knights Rayearth is pretty awesome with some great character development and an interesting story.

Free! and Bamboo Blade are both fun sports anime though the former is filled with sexy shirtless guys so that's your call.

I love Magic Knight Rayearth and have the whole series...but given the ending of the first season I probably wouldn't recommend it to a 13 year old (I know adults who've been scarred by it...).

 

[[Kira Must Die]]

(this is a terrible Christmas gift for a 12 year old)

I've shown my now 9 year old brother Madoka when it was first airing, and he loves it, and I remember seeing much more rougher anime on Adult Swim at a much younger age.

And on the subject of Madoka, I think treating it as a sort of "shock" anime is really underestimating it. To me, it's like putting it in the same category as School Days, Boku no Pico, or Shadow Star Narutaru.

 

[[REDACTED]]

]

(this is a terrible Christmas gift for a 12 year old)

I've shown my now 9 year old brother Madoka when it was first airing, and he loves it, and I remember seeing much more rougher anime on Adult Swim at a much younger age.

And on the subject of Madoka, I think treating it as a sort of "shock" anime is really underestimating it. To me, it's like putting it in the same category as School Days, Boku no Pico, or Shadow Star Narutaru.

You made me look up Boku no Pico. I need a shower now.